Pocket BEST by Arishka Fedulova

Pocket

BEST Stud e

nts

Univ ersit ies

Com p

anies

Why was this booklet made? What is BEST? Why do you only accept technology students? Do you party all the time? These are questions that almost every BESTie hears during his/her time in BEST. Now the time has come to ﬁnd short but valid answers to these questions, answers that are the same all around Europe. Through this booklet we want to strengthen our image as an organisation and we want you to help us by reading and using the information in here.

How BEST came into existence In 1987, students of physics and mathematics from 12 European universities met in Stockholm. This meeting was called International Week. This meeting had the main goal to set up a link between European universities and to support the exchange of students between these universities. As the meeting had no clear conclusion, it was decided to organize an International Week each year in a different country where problems of exchange in Europe would be discussed. Another important decision was to enlarge the board of the meeting to all Europe. In 1988 Grenoble was chosen to organize the second International Week. During this meeting the aim of the association was discussed. This year, BEST was recognized as a non-proﬁt organization by the French government. The name of the organization was also discussed during this meeting. After a lot of proposals: EAU – European Association of Universities, NBS – No Business School, EST – European Students of Technology, it was decided that the name of our organization would be BEST – Board of European Students of Technology.

Board of European Students of Technology

VISION: Empowered diversity People understand and respect different cultures and societies. The environment of empowered diversity supports people in reaching their full potential and acting responsibly.

MISSION: Developing students BEST helps students to achieve an international mindset, to reach a better understanding of cultures and societies and to develop the capacity to work in culturally diverse environment. them in reaching their full potential.

OUR POSITION  BEST is a voluntary, apolitical, non-proﬁt, non-representative international      

association of European students of technology. We do everything out of free will. We are politically neutral. We attempt to make no proﬁt from our actions. We represent nobody. We are based in Europe. We are there for European students of technology.

OUR ACTIVITIES CORE ACTIVITY  Providing complementary education  Bringing a signiﬁcant added value to the education provided by the universities. OTHER ACTIVITIES  Providing career support  Connecting students with their future employers.  Increasing educational involvement  Increasing awareness of students on issues related to engineering education

KNOWING WHAT TO SAY

BEST creates opportunities for personal development of students and supports

and improving engineering education through the input of those students.

BEST SPIRIT BEST Spirit is the inspiration for all our actions and includes the following ﬁve values:  ﬂexibility  friendship  fun  improvement  learning

BEST.eu.org

Key Messages FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS

Why we exist

MESSAGE

REASON BEHIND IT?

To empower diversity

This is the vision that

(This environment supports

guides us in our activity,

people in applying their full

the ideal state we would

potential and acting

like to achieve.

responsibly.) What we want to

To develop students: help

This is the mission that

achieve

them achieve an international

supports our vision, the

mindset, create opportunities

action we undertake to

for personal growth and

achieve our ideal state.

reaching their full potential; How we achieve our purpose

 Providing complementary

education

activities, through

 Providing career support

which we strive to

 Increasing educational

achieve our vision and

involvement

These are our core

mission

Our strengths and

 Flexibility

This is the BEST Spirit,

values

 Friendship

the inspiration for our

 Fun

actions and the values

 Improvement

we follow throughout

 Learning

our activity

Board of European Students of Technology

Sometimes it is hard to answer some questions Whether you are giving an interview, talking about BEST with representatives of your university, other organisations, institutions or companies, or even promoting BEST among students, the simplest questions may be the most difﬁcult to reply to. These are the general questions which require very speciﬁc and precise answers. Here on how to answer them.

QUESTION: What is the point of BEST? The answer to this question lies in our Vision: “Empowered diversity – Students understand and respect different cultures and societies. The environment of empowered diversity supports students in applying their full potential and acting responsibly.”

QUESTION: What does BEST want to achieve? As in the previous question, the answer can be found in our Mission: “Developing students – BEST helps students to achieve an international mindset, to reach a better understanding of cultures and societies and to develop the capacity to work in culturally diverse environments. BEST creates opportunities for personal development of students and supports them in reaching their full potential.”

QUESTION: What does BEST actually do? In answering this question you should refer to our Core Activities:

KNOWING WHAT TO SAY

you can ﬁnd some examples of such questions which you may come across, and our tips

 Providing complementary education  Providing career support  Increasing educational involvement

To ensure a better understanding of our activities, you should illustrate them through the events and services we offer (Courses, Engineering Competitions, Leisure events, BEST Career Support, Events on Education, etc.). Also, you should try to adapt your answer and choose the information you give according to the audience and the message you want to send.

BEST.eu.org

HOW TO SAY IT

H OK, of course you know what is BEST, however, do you think it is hard to explain it with few words? What is the best approach to people from different status? Here are the tips to tell someone about BEST in an appropriate way.

Questions to ask yourself before speaking Put yourself in your listenerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes. What can be the most interesting thing that he/she might think and how do you prevent yourself from giving the wrong impressions or weakening your story by simply telling too much? Think back to a previous (good) conversation you had with a similar person, how come it went so well? What triggered most the interest of your listener? Have you ever heard people saying something about BEST that was not true? How can you give more nuances to your story in order to prevent people from getting the wrong impressions? Try to explain what BEST is and does, so these pre judgements can turn into positive thoughts. What are the main reasons that made you join and stay in BEST personally? Were they honest reasons? It is the easiest way to talk about the things you are passionate about; this also reďŹ&#x201A;ects your story and can even be contagious! Additionally, before giving your answers, please avoid to use the common abbreviations that we use in BEST in order to make your speech more understandable.

Board of European Students of Technology

How to pitch? (AIDA - Attention, Interest, Desire, (Call for) Action) There are two types of pitch: elevator pitch and the sales pitch A elevator pitch is a:  A business-oriented, purposeful verbal message as fast as a ride in an elevator (30 120 seconds) in understandable language – also for technology areas  A concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced “answer” about yourself, your business, your firm, your project etc.  A situation with an opportunity to sell your company’s identity and set yourself apart from other entrepreneurs You only have one chance to make a first impression! The approach you can take for the elevator pitch is:  Give people a “hook” by talking about something that really interests them  It must be succinct, to the point  Focus on one simple message  Make it simple and easy for people to contact you after the pitch – give them an incentive to seek you out  For investors: It must be greed inducing (inducing expectations of big profits)

and dedication from entrepreneurs)  Should induce desire (“greed inducing”)  Use the Concept Summary as a framework  The Close - Call to action or demand for reaction If you want to make a good pitch, learn and remember about AIDA: Attention, Intereset, Desire, Action

A = Attention: You must get their attention right out of the gate. Be speciﬁc. Narrow it down to a niche. Ex: Title, headline, hook, etc.

I = Interest: You have to build interest immediately enough for them to halt what they’re doing. You want their undivided attention. Your presentation should be short, sizzling, and informative.

HOW TO SAY IT

And remember the rule of Three:  The “Hook" - Get attention and interest  The Subject - Explains and proves your point with passion (investors expect energy

D = Desire: After successfully completing the two, a desire surfaces as you tell them more about the beneﬁts and what they have to gain by simply trying your offer.

A = Action: This is when you assertively urge your prospect to take action. Always be closing!

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An Elevator Pitch template  WHAT you do  WHOM you serve  HOW you deliver  BENEFIT(S) for clients

HOW TO SAY IT

Example: "I [WHAT: helping verb] [WHO: target market/ideal customer] [HOW: deliver what the customer wants] [BENEFIT: key beneﬁt or wanted result]"

USP (Unique Selling Proposition) Template Sentence #1 For (target customer) who (statement of the need or opportunity), the (product/service name) is a (product/service category) that (statement of beneﬁt). Sentence #2 Unlike (primary competitive alternative), our product (statement of primary differentiation). A sales pitch is a planned presentation of a product or service designed to initiate and close a sale if the same product or service. Unlike the elevator pitch, for the sales pitch you have time to prepare!  Prepare: You should know exactly what are you going to say and how.  Know your product: You should now your product/event well, the beneﬁts it offer in

Board of European Students of Technology

order to be able to answer any questions and respond to any objections that may occur.  Research: Do a research about your client/partner. Learn the way they like to be

approached, the way they don’t like it, when they are available. Going blindly to a sales call/meeting will not bring results.  Set Objectives: If it is a sales call, set the time you would like to spend on the call, who

exactly you would like to speak to, why them in particular, what you have to offer and your desired outcome. Your desired outcome could be closing the deal over the phone, arranging for a meeting, getting an email address... whatever it may be, you must write it down and check whether you achieved your objective after the call.  Get to the point: It is good to create a casual conversation but overdoing it could

offend the prospect. Saying things like "You look pretty today" or "I like your ofﬁce" is okay but it doesn't have to be overdone or done in an obviously inappropriate situation. But how do you know whether the prospect will take your casual comments well or not?- You don't! The best thing is to be professional and on target, don't beat around the bush.  Make a two way conversation not a lecture: Nervous sales people often want to

make their sales pitch and just run away as soon as possible. They often get caught in talking for ages and then asking the killer question "Are you interested?"  Looking at it from the customer's point of view, the impression you give

you want is your own selﬁsh gain.  Consulting with the customer and asking questions about their interests

and their past experience with similar products creates a consultative dialogue which will get you the "Yes" you are looking for.  Close the deal: After pitching and consulting with the customer to ﬁnd out their

needs and interests, the ﬁnal crucial step is to close the deal. A good way to do this is to run through the beneﬁts of what you are selling and the solution it will provide for the needs the customer said he has.  For example if you are selling advertisement you could end your pitch with

something like, "As you said Mr X, your company is looking for more brand

HOW TO SAY IT

would be that you really don't care about what the customer needs and all

awareness and new clients. Our marketing solutions will provide you with the brand awareness you are looking for. If you could allow me, I can run you through the procedure of advertising through us..."  This is a simple, indirect way of asking "Are you interested?"

BEST.eu.org

A non BEST-student Just a few words BEST is a student organisation that exists in >your university<. Maybe you know about this local event we recently had? We organised that! But we are a European NGO and the best part of it is that anybody who is a student in one of the connected universities can apply and go all over Europe as a participant to the engineering courses we

HOW TO SAY IT

organise.

Need more? After ﬁnishing this line, continue to talk about a topic that interests your listener. For example:  where is BEST located  courses / competitions  the people behind the organisation  making friends and traveling

An Academic contact Just a few words BEST is a non-governmental, non-political student association, aimed towards developing European students of technology. We are present in more than 96 universities across Europe, with a target group of around one million students. We are a European NGO whose main activity is to organise competitions and courses on technology, career-related skills and applied engineering in the universities connected to the network.

Need more? After ﬁnishing this line, continue to talk about the topics that can interest your listener. For example: - courses / competitions - taking part in Thematic Networks - BEST Symposium or BEST Academics & Companies (Events on Education)

Board of European Students of Technology

A Media contact Just a few words BEST is a non-governmental, non-political student association, aimed towards developing European students of technology. We are present in 96 technical universities in 33 countries (March 2014, exact numbers can be found here [insert link]), with a target group of around one million students. We are a European NGO whose main activity is to organise courses on technology in the universities connected to the network.

Need more? After ďŹ nishing this line, continue to talk about the topics that can interest your listener. For example: - a big upcoming external event - courses/competitions & your achievements in the past

More and more? Continue where you ended. Try to get your talk towards a conversation, and make it pleasant for about applying for an event. Listen as well as talk.

BEST.eu.org

HOW TO SAY IT

both of you. Ask active question what else he/she wants to know, opinions, or just

H Do s and Dont s DOs: - emphasise our international mindset and traveling, discovering other cultures; - be honest and take a personal approach to the talk as well (why YOU are in BEST, what keeps YOu going); - explain what members get out of it (some people might ask why do it voluntarily); - do adapt to the speaker (e.g. some students might ask about money, you can mention it's cheap traveling; on the other hand, this is not so relevant for the companies);

HOW TO DO IT

- mention the self-development aspects (social skills, improving English, organisational

skills...)

DONTs: - do not advertise only the parties; do it, but moderately/casually (oh and every evening there is this or that party); - do not say "it gets crazy/ messy/ partouzaÂť

Board of European Students of Technology

F Where is the ofﬁce of BEST? Since 2013 we share an ofﬁce in FEANI’s headquarters and are a Belgium based organisation with headquarters in Brussels. Our address is Avenue Roger Vandendriessche 18, 1150, Brussels - Belgium.

How do we ensure the quality of our services, especially courses and competitions? For courses the External Events Committee is responsible for the quality assurance of each course and after each season, the season coordinator goes through all the participant evaluation forms and checks that all the other criteria of the course has been met and in the end stamps the course as “approved” or “not approved”. For competitions, the EBEC team is controlling the quality of EBEC and is working with the National/Regional Rounds coordinators in order to assure the quality of the national and regional level as well. The competitions are under continuous will improve.

How do you select the member Universities of BEST? There are two deadlines a year to run for Observer Group, namely 1st of July and 1st of

F.A.Q.

development, so it is expected that in the future the quality assurance for competitions

December. The International Board makes the decision of who is accepted as Observer Group of BEST, based on the documents they have to deliver when they run for this status. BEST has only in recent times started targeted growth, with the aim of covering all countries in Europe and improving the balanced coverage of BEST countries. If there is someone interested in starting a BEST initiative at an University they can send an email to interested@best.eu.org to get in touch with our board.

BEST.eu.org

Your chances of going to a course are minimal, unless you “know someone” Any student from a technical university that has a BEST group can apply to our courses. The applications are anonymous, so the selection process is fair. Selection is made by the organisers and it is not regulated, but mainly it depends on the LBG. Nevertheless, LBGs are encouraged to focus on the following criteria: increase diversity, motivation letter and/or educational background.

Are BEST members just partying and getting drunk together? You can explain it in two different ways which are relating with core activity and our values. The core activity of BEST consists in providing services that help develop students. This is what we believe in and we put all our effort into achieving this goal. As any other students, we of course enjoy traveling, meeting new people and having fun. It’s something that motivates us to work very hard and fulfill our mission. We value positive emotions and always try to make our activities enjoyable for everyone involved in them. This is one of the values we cherish, as fun is what motivates us to work hard and fulfill our mission. However, this is not our only value. We praise flexibility and the ability of quickly adapting to changes in our environment or obstacles that stand in our way. We value friendship, personal relationships and teamwork, as this creates synergy and helps us be more efficient. Through everything we do we seek to improve our standards and develop our activity. We value everything we learn through our experiences and strive for personal development.

What do you get out of BEST? As stated in our mission, BEST helps students to achieve an international mindset, to reach a better understanding of cultures and societies and to develop the capacity to work in culturally diverse environment. BEST creates opportunities for personal development of students and supports them

F.A.Q.

in reaching their full potential. As BESTies get all that and much much more. We learn how to be great leaders.

Board of European Students of Technology

Are you paid in BEST? As stated in our position, BEST is a voluntary organisation and everything we do is out of free will. We do not get paid in BEST.

Why would you do something like this voluntarily? This can be answered by looking once again at our values, or BEST spirit. We are doing it for our personal development, for the experience and knowledge we gain from being a BEST member and organising events. we are doing it for the fun we have along the way and for the friends we gain. We become more ďŹ&#x201A;exible and we learn to adapt to different situations and problems

Why doesn't BEST support student protests all over Europe? As stated in our position, BEST is apolitical organisation. BEST cannot support any political protests, parties and persons. As an organisation, BEST cannot express itself in a political context. This however does not mean that you, as an individual cannot talk about politics with fellow BESTies. You cannot do it in the name of BEST, it would not be wise to go to political protests in BEST clothes or assets, but you can discuss politics with your BEST friends (privately that is).

How can I get an internship at BEST's partners? minded students and engineers with companies. It gives you a chance to browse through offers from companies and universities and also promote yourself to these companies by entering your CV. For an internship or job you can checkout the following links:

F.A.Q.

BEST Career Support is the online service of BEST that connects internationally-

http://best.eu.org/student/career/companyOfferList.jsp http://best.eu.org/student/career/specialProgrammeList.jsp Remember to: Update your BEST account since this takes the shape of your CV and our Partners can invite you to an interview. Subscribe to BEST Career Newsletter, from your BEST account, to receive directly in the inbox latest offers from companies

BEST.eu.org

What is an LBG and how many are out there? An LBGs is any of the 98 Local BEST Groups (April 2014) to be found in European universities of technology. Each of our members belongs to the LBG of their university.

Where do Local BEST Groups get the money for events? As mentioned, BEST is connecting students, universities and companies. Local BEST Groups are doing this by means of fundraising: they contact potential partners, sponsors, companies and establish partnerships. Grants are also a mean to gain money for the events and LBGs can apply for them. In some cases the University also supports the LBGs or events ﬁnancially and not only. For internal events International BEST can support LBGs with money. There are different ways to get money for the event but to resume it in one word is fundraising.

Why is there BEST only in Europe? As stated in our position, BEST is based in Europe and is there for the European students of Technology.

Why do you have International Teams? International Teams are needed in order to facilitate the work, communication and knowledge sharing between LBGs and to fulﬁll certain objectives and projects for BEST as a whole rather for each LBG separately. International teams help BEST grow and become better as an organisation.

Do you need to speak English to be in BEST? It is deﬁnitely a plus. To be involved on a local level (your LBG) you don’t need to know english. But if you want to get involved on the international level and work with people from all other the Europe you’ll have to learn it.

What do you need to join BEST?

F.A.Q.

To join BEST you need to be a student of Technology (although there are LBGs that of the university and speciality they learn).

Board of European Students of Technology

offer this opportunity not only to students of technology, but to all students regardless

Does BEST ask for a membership fee? No. BEST does not ask for a membership fee from its members.

Do you need to be a BEST member to go to BEST courses? No. You need to be a student of the university where an LBG is present. Any student from that university can go, regardless of whether they is or is not a BEST member.

How is it possible that BEST Courses are so cheap? We are a non-proďŹ t organisation, so we don't need to charge for any of the services we offer to students. The money we have comes from grants or fundraising from companies, and it all goes into organising our events. That's why, in our courses, we offer accommodation, food and social events for free and all you need to pay is the course fee (depending on the country you are from) and your transportation ticket.

I've been to 3 courses already. Can I go as extra? As a BEST member you can go as a co-organiser to course as many times you want. As a BEST member you can go as an extra participant when LBGs are looking for them. And also you can go as a guest. As a student who is not a BEST member you can go only to 3 courses.

Why do you have so many colours in your Gmail inbox? receiving all the emails in our inbox would be a huge mess (to say the least), we are creating gmail ďŹ lters/labels to sort and group the messages the receive. Every label can have its own colour so this is the reason our inbox looks more awesome than the rainbow :D

BEST.eu.org

F.A.Q.

They are labels. Usually a BESTie is subscribed to many mailing lists in BEST, and since